Music

Last Stop on the Line

A Brief Guide to Swansea by Benjamin and Tony from 33

By Andy Capper

Left to right: Tony Sylvester: Heritage Research watch cap, Sierra Designs parka, Filson waistcoat, SNS Herning sweater, vintage Levi’s jeans, New Balance boots; Benjamin Phillips: Aubin & Wills watch cap, Henri Lloyd x Oi Polloi parka, Roy jeans, Red Wing boots; Barry Thirlway: Burberry jacket, Albam jeans and cardigan, Red Wing boots; Graham Rofe: Norse Projects cap, LL Bean parka, Lee jeans, Red Wing boots; Andrew Paget: Ralph Lauren watch cap, North Face parka, Ralph Lauren rugby shirt, vintage Levi’s jeans, Red Wing boots


Swansea Love Story was made a long time ago now, but we often receive little updates from cast members such as Clinty and we recently found out that South Wales Police had arrested every junkie in the city in some kind of misguided effort to “clean the streets of drug dealers”.

The film’s main character, Cornelius Collins, was sent to prison in that sweep-up, but just before he went down he met one of our good pals, Benjamin Phillips, who’s the singer in an amazing hardcore band called 33. Benjamin called to tell us about how he’d met Cornelius and while we were chatting we decided to arrange a show for 33 at the Old Blue Last. That show took place last month.

We had so much fun at the show (which was free) that we thought we’d say thank you to 33 for playing by printing a two-page article about them in this issue of the magazine. And that, my friend, is what you’re looking at right now.

Vice: The last time I was in Swansea, in 2009, we were filming the documentary and everybody would always go on about the rivalry between Cardiff City and Swansea City football fans.
Benjamin Phillips (vocals): Well, my first memory in life is of Cardiff fans—well, Cardiff hooligans—throwing bricks at my mum and me when I was a little baby in a pushchair. We had to hide in a bakery to get away from them and then they started throwing bricks through the windows, smashing them all. People from Cardiff think they’re better than us because they’re the capital city. It’s that small town/bigger town resentment.

Cardiff women recently got voted the “tartiest dressers in Britain” by some tin-pot internet survey. How would you describe their dress sense?
Well, tarty. Haha.

And how about the women in Swansea?
The women in Swansea dress fantastic. God bless ’em. Although I’d say their style is not that far away from Cardiff.

The rivalry between the two cities is mainly football-based, would you say?
It’s not even just football-based. We’ve been lumbered in with the Cardiff City Hardcore thing. I’ve done loads of interviews and they always ask what it’s like to be a part of the Cardiff City Hardcore scene. I say: mate, I’m from Swansea.

And when the Cardiff boys find out you’re from Swansea, what do they call you?
“Gyppos” is the main one. There’s also “Jack bastard”. You can’t beat the classics.

The Swansea Jacks is the name for Swansea’s “firm”, right?
Yeah.
Tony Sylvester (vocals): I’m from north London and we always had the Arsenal vs Spurs rivalry, but in Wales the tension between Cardiff and Swansea is more palpable. It’s more like the Old Firm games in Glasgow.

By Andy Capper 1 year ago More from this issue

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